BMI under 27 - Off Label/less to lose

[ritala]

I am mid 40’s and just can’t lose the weight like I used to. I’m fed up of losing and gaming the same two pounds. I’m about a stone and a half more than my happy weight (where I would be approx bmi 23).

I have tried to find a thread for people who have been approved ‘off label’ Wegovy or Mounjaro with less to lose but couldn’t find one, so thought I’d start here. I have a BMI higher than 25 but less than 27 with a couple extra health conditions. Hoping to start after Easter. I’d like to stay with a very low dose if possible. Half a pound a week loss would be good for me. I really want to avoided side effects.

Anyone who is in a similar boat and wants to share experiences or ask questions, please join! X

I have never had food noise or snacked or eaten unhealthily. I have gained an annoying stone due to peri and hypothyroidism destroying my metabolism. That’s also caused a lot of inflammation. I guess as I never had a big appetite, any suppression restricts my hunger to non-existent levels.

I’m hoping by spacing out the jabs, I can start eating a bit more. I did manage to have a bowl of spag Bol for dinner so that’s progress!

I don't suppose I can join in this thread? I don't have any other threads I'd fit in on and following this one along seems like could be a good fit. My story is that I've had to fight tooth and nail to stay a good weight ever since I was 12 years old (was overweight/obese age 8-11). Recently due to physical disability and becoming a mum, and aging, it's become impossible to continue to win that fight without the intervention of WLI. It's not about lack of knowledge, it's about biology/genetics and things that are not changeable in my life (working 60 hrs/wk long-term, severe mental/physical stress, disability, single parenthood).

I think my BMI was about 24 when I started MJ at the start of January 2026, but I went on the drug primarily to protect my blood sugars (I'm T2 diabetic, if I get a certain level of unfit my bloods instantly become abnormal), fight insulin resistance, and to attempt to stop the daily, every-waking-moment-of-my-life exhaustion and losing battle of trying to not be overweight that I've been fighting every day for nearly 3 decades.

I've altered dosing depending on work commitments or how much childcare support I've had, spreading doses out more than I usually would or taking less than I usually would in situations where I know severe side effects would be a disaster. I had violent/extreme side effects for 4 or 5 days following my very first 2.5mg dose.
I'm just treading water at the moment with variable dosing that works out to probably about 3.75mg if I was dosing at normal intervals, but aim to gain back a bit more muscle before seeing if I can gradually chip away down to 21ish BMI and then try to maintain that (but 21 BMI with a fair amount of muscle, not 'skinny fat'). Have stockpiled/gone up in dose in pens for terror of getting cutoff from provider down the road.

Sorry for the novel!

I love this thread so much.

I keep pressing the 'add to basket' button but haven't made the leap yet.

My BMI is currently just over 27 and I'm doing a total meal replacement plan but I have days where I fantasize about sugar and fats and things I don't eat much of when I'm not doing a low calorie diet and it's seriously derailing me.

I end up eating a lot on one day and cancelling out all of my effort for the week.

Should I push the button!!?

This is me! I nearly did it the other day but then a friend who actually lost a large amount of weight on it actually talked me out of it. She said it wasn’t worth it for the ten or so pounds I want to lose. I am so tempted to just give it a go.

I'm on week 3 and feeling really good again. So I’m feeling pretty reassured that my symptoms last week were due to having a virus and not side effects of the jabs.

The scales are moving down again which is really motivating.

Hello - is everyone who started on .25 wegovy planning to move up to .5 with their next pen?

I’m still losing weight on week 3 but it’s slowed and I feel like the mild suppression is definitely less. I’ve had very mild SE - felt mildly nauseous after 3rd jab and I’m not constipated but things are definitely getting slower/harder (sorry TMI!)

I want to move up but nervous about getting slammed by side effects.

My BMI was 26.5 and although it’s early days I wish I’d done it sooner. I was very much like you. I’ve not had one over-eating episode since I started 2.5 weeks ago, which admittedly isn’t long, but is also extremely unusual for me.

In the words of the chemical brothers: push the button!!

I don’t really understand people who say it’s not worth it for x amount, you see it a lot on the main boards. Even with some SE I don’t get it. I think maybe they just don’t understand because 10lb is unfathomable if they have stones and stones to lose, whereas we know that that last stone is the hardest to lose and that’s where we live, and it can take months on your own.

Welcome, I started at 25.1 and am now 22.3, it was slow to start with lots of SE but really ramped up weightloss when I got to 5mg, starting to titrate down now although hoping to get to about 21.7. You need a maintenance provider when you get to a lower BMI, I’m with SwiftDr.

Has anyone started who suffers anxiety? I’ve woke up today with a wtf have I done mentality and feel like when this pen arrives it will sit looking at me in the fridge for weeks 🙈🤣. I’m so scared of the unknown like the SE plus injecting myself (I suffer vasovagal syncope so easily pass out at any type of medical procedure) I know I’m massively overthinking and just need to get on with it!

Hi all can I please join you here?? ☺️ I have ordered my 1st pen just waiting on it arriving now.

I have been debating starting for months as I have been trying to lose weight ‘normally’ but nothing has shifted 😭.

I am really active…I run long distances and eat fairly healthily with a bit a relaxed attitude at weekends but since entering Peri I just can’t get any weight off!!.

You are all giving me inspiration that this will work for me 🎉

@JT1987 honestly the needle is tiny and you don’t feel it if injected into your stomach.

@JT1987 I don’t have diagnosed anxiety so always feel a bit of a fraud discussing anxiety, but I do struggle with anxious thoughts. I had CBT as a teen for it. I don’t have generalised anxiety, it’s mostly focussed about my IBS, getting unwell outside the house, that type of thing. I have lots of strategies for being out the house and outright avoid certain things.

Anyway, I’ve found my ‘anxiety’ much better on MJ. It’s a combination of things I think. Firstly, it’s slowed down my digestion which has reduced my IBS SE. I was taking immodium weekly before I started, now I take it once a month if that. Secondly, and a friend concurs with this, I feel more hormonally/emotionally balanced. My monthly hormones are much calmer, much less PMT (which I usually struggle with) and I think my anxious thoughts more generally are much reduced.

No science for you there, but my experience, and one of the reasons I’m happy to stay on it.

@JT1987 sorry completely different type of anxiety I know, but wanted to share anyway. Do it!

Thank you, I don’t think it’s the actual pain of the needle it’s more the thoughts I’ll just make sure I’m laid down first time with a sugary drink 🤣

That’s great news! I have heard that some who
suffer with anxiety actually find it eases off with glps

@kljdhs877 Good to see others that have a similar journey (25ish to 21ish goal)! This thread is lovely- virtually anywhere else people would see the numbers or hear someone starting it that isn't overweight instantly assume it was some sort of vanity project. Couldn't be farther from the truth in my case. I do have T2 so it is about keeping myself in remission but it's also about easing the constant torment and exhaustion of food noise and trying desperately not to tick back over into overweight that rules my entire life. Like you I have had to deal with SE. But overall being on MJ has been like some sort of divine gift in terms of food noise and insulin resistance.

@JT1987 I'm no expert but I've seen countless places that glp-1s sometimes help people with anxiety- whether that's a direct mechanism versus somewhat indirect effect of not having to constantly think about/obsess over food, or indirect effect of having better health/less worry about your health- I'm not sure if is totally clear yet, but it's being studied! Everyone is different so surely for some people it might CAUSE anxiety (for example if it disrupts sleep enough, or if people in their lives don't approve and this causes an tension/anxiety etc)

@flowerdebate exactly that, treated like we are vain or irresponsible, disordered. I can’t understate the impact to my mental health. We have screwed women over for generations over their value and looks. I now have the headspace to make decisions based on health, guilt free, not shrouded in guilt and cravings.

It also annoys me that we think of obesity as the only indicator of poor diet and thus poor health outcomes. You only need to see the rise in cancers at a young age to see poor diet impacts people who are not obese too. I’m eating so much healthier now, drinking less, that is a good thing!

Agree, it's been total magic for me, not really any downsides! I've lost 10lbs in three weeks and I feel better than I have in years, barely any side effects (apart from a curry being a bit of mistake 😅)

@Happytrucker1982 if that 10lbs gets you from an overweight BMI to not overweight then it’s 10lbs that matter x

Very true, just hadn’t thought of it like that!

On another thread (I think), I asked about GLP in tandem with a VLCD.

I went off plan yesterday. Foiled by my own baking!!! Would MJ help with that?

I’m a complete needlephobe (DH had to take kids to get their vaccinations when they were small etc) and if I can do it, you can too!

I do get myself into a bit of a state in the run up, but it really is fine and nothing like a nasty blood test needle or anything.

@ChubbyGroundhog I’d be careful doing VLCD on MJ, when you get to suppression you won’t want to eat much so it’s important you are eating nutrient dense foods and are focussing on fibre and protein to reduce the risk of some of the risks of MJ. Calorie counting and reduction is generally required, but it all depends on how you best work to prioritise nutrients. I do not calorie count personally, it’s not healthy for me.